Puzzle Master
by PolarDawn
Summary: Pete and Myka venture out to snag and bag another artifact, the original Rubik's Cube.
1. The Start of the Adventure

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I affiliated with Warehouse 13, SyFy, or Rubik's.

Puzzle Master

Pete and Myka walked into the B&B after a long day of inventory at the Warehouse. As they took of their coats, Leena came into the entryway.

"If you two are hungry, dinner will be ready in ten minutes."

"Alright," said Pete, "I'm starving!"

"You always are," replied Myka. "Leena, what is dinner?"

"Beef Stroganoff, Claudia should like it." As if on cue, Claudia bounded into the room mumbling something undecipherable about dual core processors and outdated computers.

"And here she is," said Pete. "You hungry?"

"A little."

Just as Pete opened his mouth to say something back, Artie burst through the door.

"Ping at the Warehouse!" Everyone stared at him in surprise for a second before they all started talking at once.

"What is it?" Asked Pete.

"Where?" Was Myka's input.

Finally, Claudia with an "Oh dude, I was looking forward to that dinner."

"Be quiet!" Artie yelled. "It's the original Rubik's Cube, and it is in Seattle, Washington. Here's the case file. Airplane tickets are inside. Pete, Myka, pack your bags and be gone!"

With dual sighs, Pete and Myka climbed the stairs to the upper floor of the B&B. Exactly four minutes later, they came back down the stairs, now with their bags in tow. They grabbed their coats on the way out the door. Once they were in the SUV, Myka took out the file as Pete started the car and turned to drive out.

"This says that a certain Thomas Moore had disappeared from his neighborhood in Bellevue, Washington. He was discovered five days later, by a friend who was supposed to have come over for drinks that evening. The friend noticed that the man had an old wooden version of a Rubik's Cube in his hand."

"So, what?" Pete said. "The artifact kills you when you pick it up?"

"Maybe, but I somehow doubt it. They don't seem to usually do that, do they?"

"No," Pete said, "But you never know."

Half an hour later, when they arrived at the airport, Pete was complaining about not having enough to eat.

"Be quiet, you can get some cookies in the airport before we catch our flight."

"Alright then," he said, finally sitting back in his chair. Once they parked the car, they grabbed their bags and walked into the airport. Sure enough, they stopped at a small bakery just long enough to grab a double order of cookies. All for Pete, of course.

By the time they got to their gate, the plane was just loading, so they practically got to walk right on.

"Off on our way again," Pete said. Myka only nodded in response.

"What's on your mind, Mykes? You seemed pretty preoccupied all the way through the airport."

"It's just that I keep wondering what exactly it is that this cube does."

"It's a game, Mykes. You know, for kids."

"Hmm… Yes, but it's also an artifact. You should know that they're never just normal toys."

"Well, I guess we'll just find out when we get there, won't we?"

**Kind of a short chapter, but what do you guys think? Review with your thoughts. Thanks.**


	2. The Wooden Cube

Chapter 2

When Pete and Myka arrived at SeaTac Airport, they got off the plane, and went to get their bags. They picked them up, and went to catch a taxi to Bellevue. On the way to the house, they registered for a room at the hotel they were staying in. Then the taxi took them on to the house where the man was found. When they arrived, the first things they saw were a police squad car, and yellow crime scene tape around the building. The taxi dropped them off at the curb and drove off back towards the city.

"Here we are," said Pete. "Let's see if the cube is here."

"Alright, we'll go talk to that detective over there," said Myka. They walked over to the detective. "Agent Myka Bering, Secret Service," she said. "This is my partner, Agent Pete Lattimer."

"A pleasure. I'm Detective Preston."

"Well, Detective, have you and your team found the cause of death yet?"

"No, we sent the body to the forensics lab for testing. Some guy there thought there was something odd about it, so they agreed to let him study it. Is there a particular reason why the Secret Service would be interested in a seemingly random death?"

"Classified, sorry," Pete said. He always felt like a jerk when he pulled that on someone, but it was part of the job.

"Yes… Well, would you two like to look around inside? I would be happy to show you where he was found."

"Sure," Myka said. "Have you by any chance seen a Rubik's Cube around anywhere?"

"Why, yes. The victim had one by his hand when we found him. Strange too, when we found it, it was glowing, as if it was expending some internal energy to do so. It was made of wood and looked to be pretty old. It also had symbols to match instead of colors. I've never seen one like it before."

"Is it still here?" Pete asked.

"No, they took it with them to the lab. It's been put into the evidence testing sector."

"Alright, thanks. Could you give us a quick look around the scene? said Myka. The detective took them around inside the house. It all looked neat, not as if there had been a struggle, or anything of the kind. There was, however, an area marked off with yellow tape in the living room. Inside of it, there was an outline of a body, drawn in chalk. Next to it, by one of the hands, was a small square, also drawn in chalk.

"I assume the square is where the Cube was?" asked Myka.

"That would be correct, Agent Bering. Found right by his hand, as I said earlier. He must have been holding it when he died."

"Well, thanks for the tour," said Pete. We have to go check out the body."

"I'll see you around, Agents," said the detective.

When Pete and Myka arrived at the morgue and identified themselves, they were ushered into a room. There was a table in the middle with a sheet over it. As they were looking around, the examiner came in.

"Hello Agents, my name is Doctor Caldway. I heard you needed to take a look at the body here."

"Correct," said Myka. We were also wondering about the cause of death."

"Alright, the cause of death, so far as we can tell, was dehydration. We also found a lack of nutrients in his body, which lead us to believe he hadn't eaten in at least three days."

"How could he have starved?" asked Pete. "There was plenty of food and water in his house."

"That's what we don't know. It seems like he just committed suicide by fasting, with the added effect of not drinking. However, three days is much to short a time to die from lack of nutrients."

"Strange. Would dehydration kill you in around that amount of time?"

"Yes, three days is around the time it takes for your body to start to fail due to lack of fluids."

"Well, thanks for your help, we might be back soon."

Once they were out of the building, Myka said "Dehydration? What does it do, suck all the water out of you?"

"I doubt it," answered Pete, "He said there was also a lack of nutrients in his body."

"Well, I think we should call Artie, and see if he knows anything about it," said Myka.

"Alright," said Pete, already pulling out the Farnsworth.

**So, what do you guys think? Continue? Please review, it really helps. :D**

**Thanks to ms17thst for inspiring me to write this story.**


	3. Background Check

**Chapter 3: Background Check**

Artie groaned. Opening his eyes, he remembered where he was. He looked around and realized the reason he had woken from his unexpected nap. That annoying buzzing could only be one thing. The Farnsworth.

Groaning again, he sat up and grabbed the device from its holder and opened it, successfully aborting the incessant noise.

"Artie!" said Pete's distorted face. "We have something. It's not much, but it should help. The artifact seems to have sucked the fluids, and some of the nutrients out of the victim's body."

"Do you have it?"

"No," said Myka's head, as it pushed Pete's to the side of the screen. "We talked to the detective working the case, and he said that he moved it to a lab for testing."

"Not good. See if you can get it out of there in case someone else gets drained."

"Will do. Oh, and Artie, I picked up a weird vibe from that detective guy. Would you do a background check on detective Preston of the Bellevue PD? I'll keep an eye on him anyway, just in case."

"Sure. I'll check for anything suspicious."

"We'll call you again with any new updates."

"Alright, while you two are getting the Rubik's cube, I'll research why I've never heard of this cube before. If you guys find anything else or need my help with something, you know how to get a hold of me," said Artie just before switching off the Farnsworth.

* * *

Turing towards the computer screen, Artie began to think. "Why have I never heard of this cube and its mysterious power before? It must have been covered up somewhere by someone who didn't want it to be public knowledge. Now where to start looking? I guess when and where they started making them would work."

Opening up the Internet, Artie began speaking out loud. "Let's see where, and when, Rubik's cubes originated, for a start." As he typed 'Rubik's Cube' into the search bar, the computer screen began to flicker. "Oh come on! Not right now!" Artie yelled, while giving the side of the monitor a hard slap. The screen returned to a normal steady state. "Now back to researching," Artie grumbled.

He began to scroll down the page of results that had popped up when he searched, when the title of one of the pages caught his eye: '35 People Killed, 65 Injured in Rubik's Cube Factory Fire.' Clicking on the link, Artie began to read the article, but he stopped himself. He thought for a minute, then decided to call Pete and Myka to update them.

* * *

"Myka, let's head over to that lab and see if we can take a peek at the artifact. Can you get a hold of Preston and ask him if he'll meet us there?"

"You sure you want him around?"

"I want to keep an eye on him. If he is a possible threat to our mission, it would be a good idea to keep tabs on him."

"Good point, but in the times that he isn't around, who knows what he could be doing."

"Well I'm hoping he occupies himself with normal, everyday things. I trust my vibes though."

"Alright, I'll call."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the lab. It was a medium sized building, one story, with many bushes and plants around it. The entryway had a small overhang which protected the door from any rain that might decide to show itself. They got out of the car and went inside, looking around for Preston.

When Preston saw them, he broke off the conversation he was having with the man standing next to him.

"Ah, Agents, hello. This is the forensics director of this district, Mister James Terrence." Terrence shook hands with both of them, stepping forward to talk.

"You may have been wondering why the cube was brought into the testing section. It was because I requested it. When we first saw it at the crime scene, it was glowing with an intense white light. Since then it has faded to what I must assume is a normal look for it. I have been experimenting on it to see if I can recreate that light." In actual fact, he had requested its presence here for a specific reason, other than the one he just mentioned. He had heard many rumors of objects that had a power linked to them. There had been many unexplained things happening, and some object having been removed from the same area. There was never a report of a similar incident dated after. He knew the government was hiding things, and this seemed like something they would be looking for. He decided to test this object to see if he could figure things out for himself.

"The object is in the examination room. If you would follow me…" They followed Terrence back into the center of the building. He stopped before a door marked with the number 38. It is in here. Please, do not touch it. We are not sure if it does anything, but we do not want to take chances.

"Sure thing," said Pete. "Let's see it" Terrence nodded and opened the door. Pete took a second to glance around the room. It had a table in the center, with a few cords leading away from it. In the corner and along one wall, there was a counter with various supplies and chemicals in clearly labeled containers on top. There was also a lower section of counter which looked almost like a seat. However, it had several boxes of tools and wires sitting on it. Interesting. The cube was sitting near the middle of the table, with a few wires connected to what looked like a battery charger.

"We just finished testing it for electrical current and conductivity. The cube seems to possess neither. We should be starting a series of test to try to get some sort of reaction out of it later today."

"Sounds good. What will you do if it reacts?"

"The technicians will back off and observe. We are hoping that if there is a reaction, that it will be something that we can control, and use to our benefit.

"I guess we'll leave you to it then," said Myka. "Mind if we come back tonight to watch the tests?"

"Not at all. I hope to see you two there." Terrence said his goodbye, and Preston escorted them back out of the building. He then proceeded to tell them what time they should plan on arriving. They climbed into their car, then pulled out onto the street.

The Farnsworth beeped once as it turned on, and Artie pressed the call button. Pete's face appeared on the pixel screen.

"Artie! What's up?"

"Pete, Myka, listen. I was searching around, and found this article. I'll read it out to you:

It is titled: '35 People Killed, 65 Injured in Rubik's Cube Factory Fire.' It's dated July 7, 1981, and printed by a newspaper in Budapest, Hungary.

Early this morning, at about 9:15 A.M., a fire broke out in the newly opened Rubik's factory. The fire started in a small chamber off the main factory floor, and quickly spread out into the hallway, where it blocked the only way out of the factory for people on the third floor. As a result of this, people were trapped on the third floor with no way out of the burning building. Fire brigades arrived on scene at around 9:39 A.M., and began to try to put out the fire. People resorted to jumping from third floor windows as the fire and smoke began to make it unbearable on the factory floor. After fire brigades were able to put out the blaze, a single Rubik's Cube was found in the wreckage of the factory. As of 12:00 P.M. today, the hospital has reported that 35 people have died of injuries connected to the fire, and 65 more are injured. Spokesperson for the Company Puzzle Masters Incorporated, Daniel Preston, released a short statement to the press at 11:30 A.M. stating the following: "We at Puzzle Masters Incorporated are shocked at this morning's fire in our recently opened factory, and our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those who passed away or received injuries as a result or this tragic fire."

"Well," said Pete, "It seems Preston is not new to this case."

* * *

**I am incredibly sorry for the four month space between updates. I lost the drive that I had for the story, and I hope that it has returned. Thanks go to TheFallenCoDLion for working with me to improve the story. I appreciate it. I plan on updating more regularly, once a week or so. Read and Review!**


	4. Questioning

Suddenly, Pete's cell rang. He handed the Farnsworth to Myka before walking out of the picture, putting the phone to his ear as he did so.  
"So, what are we going to do about this, interrogate him?" Asked Myka.  
"I'm not sure. We need to handle this with caution, that's for sure. We aren't sure how involved he is, or why," replied Artie.  
Then Pete raced back into view on the screen shouting "Myka, quick, we need to get back to the lab!"  
Myka was quick to respond with a "Pete, what's wrong?" While Artie said a similar "what's the matter?"  
"That was Preston on the phone, he said that he just arrived at the lab to supervise over the tests, and the artifact was gone!"  
"What!" Yelled Artie. "Get over there now! Call me with updates!" He switched off the communications device, and leaned back in his chair. "This case seems to be blowing up in our faces, we need to get on the ball." He sighed, and yelled for Claudia, who came clattering into the room.  
"What's up, Artie?"  
I need you to jump on the computer and pull up the security videos for the police forensics lab in Bellevue, Washington."  
"Sure thing, Geezer. What am I looking for?"  
"Any entrance to the lab today. Look for suspicious activity around the cube, see if you can find when it disappeared, and who was near it."  
"It disappeared?"  
"Yeah, just recently. Get to work."

* * *

Pete and Myka raced back to the lab, and skidded to a stop. They jumped out of the car and ran over to the doors. When they got in, they saw Preston talking to Terrence, his back to them. When he heard the doors, he turned. "Ah, agents. This is quite a setback."  
"It is. Mind if we ask you a couple questions?"  
"Sure thing. Terrence, I'll talk to you in a few minutes." He then led Pete and Myka out of the room, and into another with some chairs. They sat down around the table, and Myka started out the conversation with; "What time did you realize it was missing?"  
He responded, "right before I called, why would I wait?"  
"Are you who you say you are?" Interjected Pete.  
Preston looked surprised, and said; "of course I am. Look, agents, I know you are assigned to this case, but you cannot make assumptions. Right before I went in, I saw Terrence enter, then exit just a moment later. There was no reason for him to be in the lab at that time. Maybe you should question him."  
Terrence had seemed a bit suspicious at first, Pete thought, so questioning him might be worthwhile. "He's right. Myka, lets go talk to our friend Terrence." Pete and Myka got up, and walked out of the room. Preston smirked to himself as he watched them leave.

Walking down the hall towards the lobby area, Myka said; "Pete, why check out Terrence? We already know that Preston was in on the case before."  
"I thought he was suspicious. Why would he bring the cube in for testing? As far as they knew, it was nothing special. The victim could have been holding a pen when he died."  
"Interesting point. I see where you are going with this. You think that he knows something that he isn't saying."  
"Correct. Lets see if we can validate it."

* * *

Once they arrived in the lobby, they saw Terrence sitting on one of the couches in the corner. He seemed... depressed, Myka thought. Odd, if he was the thief.  
"Terrence, would we be able to talk to you real fast?" Asked Pete. Terrence, responding with an affirmation, motioned for them to sit down. "Thanks. First off, we wanted to know why, specifically, you brought the cube in for testing. As far as we can tell, to you it is only some random object the victim was holding in his hand at the time of death."  
"Well, yes. In a way, it _is_ just some random object. However, I had, have, a theory."  
"And that theory is..?"  
"Well, I think that this cube is one of the mysterious objects that have been disappearing. I wanted to find out what, if any, properties it had."  
Silence.  
Pete and Myka were thinking the same thing; _'is our operation really that obvious?'_  
Opening her mouth, Myka said; "Did you find anything?"  
"Well, yes. I was testing for chemicals by burning some of the outer layer off, when the cube started to steam. It did not burn at all, but let off this steam for quite a few minutes. When I took away the burner, it began to slowly lessen in the amount it was expelling."  
"It sounds almost as if it was coming to a boil..."  
"Yes, that was my thought as well. It was odd, because there did not seem to be a source, or any means of storage, unless it is somehow compressing it into the middle."  
"Could it have drawn it in from the surrounding air?"  
"Doubtful. The room has a dry atmosphere, and there was no liquid in the sink there."  
"That is interesting, but do you know who or what caused the disappearance?"  
"I think the only possibility was Preston, because just as I was leaving the lab earlier, I passed him entering. He was the last one I saw enter before the cube was reported missing."  
"You said you were leaving," Pete responded. "Is it possible that you were not in a position to see someone entering?"  
"Well... Yes. I left to get some coffee and go to the bathroom, so I was away from the lab long enough to miss another person going in after Preston."  
"Do you know if there was anyone else working on the cube?" Myka asked.  
"Besides lab assistants, no," Terrence answered.  
"There is a card scanner that is used to gain access to the lab, correct?" Pete asked.  
"Yes. You might be able to check that. It should have a log of who entered and exited the lab, as well as times for both. You'll have to get permission from the department to access those files though."  
"Alright. That shouldn't be a problem. Thanks Terrence." Pete and Myka stood up, gathering their things. They left the room, heading toward the front desk area. Terrence smirked to himself as they left.

* * *

**So... another chapter. Hope it wasn't to terrible. Took me long enough though, huh? I am (obviously) a slow writer. Don't expect any chapters in the immediate future, I am going to be pretty busy for the next few weeks. I'll write if I can find the time. Thanks for your understanding.**  
**R&R please, it is very much appreciated.**


	5. Confrontation

The Warehouse was quiet. There had not been any artifact disturbances recently, and everyone was at the B&B researching, or, in Artie's case, sleeping at the Warehouse. Calm prevailed. Suddenly the silence was shattered, and Artie woke with a start. He was trying to figure out why, when it happened again.  
"Artie!" Yelled Claudia's voice. Artie grumbled sleepily to himself as he sat up. He had fallen asleep in his room at the Warehouse. He stumbled along the passage to the main room of the Warehouse, the room where Claudia was yelling for him. He wondered why for a moment, then remembered the task he had set her. She must have found something. He walked faster, arriving in the room just as Claudia was about to yell again.  
"Thank god. How deep do you sleep? I've been yelling for five whole minutes."  
"Oh, five minutes, what a _long_ time," Artie replied sarcastically. "Did you find anything?"  
"Yeah. The last person in and out of that room was Preston. He went in just after Terrence left."  
"Preston was the one who reported the incident, correct?"  
"Yes. About 20 minutes after he exited the room."  
"20 minutes?"  
"Yep. 20 whole min-"  
"Why would he wait that long?" Artie said, more to himself than her. "If he had just been in there, and the cube was gone, I would think that he would report it right away. He was also the last one in there... Claudia! Quick, call Pete and Myka!"  
"Uh, sure," Claudia responded. She opened the Farnsworth, and sent out the call.

* * *

They had arrived at the desk 15 minutes ago. They had asked for permission, and the receptionist had said she would talk to someone. That was 15 minutes ago. They were still waiting. The Farnsworth went off, and Pete answered. It was Artie.  
"Pete! I think it was Preston! Claudia looked it up, and he was the last one to enter and exit. After he left though, he did not report the disappearance for another 20 minutes. He should have reported immediately. The only reason I can think of is that he took it, and had to find a place to hide it, or he had to give it to an accomplice."  
As he was talking, Pete and Myka started walking quickly back towards where they had left Preston. When they arrived, they saw him dart out the back door.  
"Artie! He just ran out of the building when he saw us! We're going after him!"  
"Alright. Report back soon." He signed off. Pete and Myka ran out the door after Preston. It opened onto to a small path which lead to the parking lot. Myka saw him near the end of the path, and started to sprint after him, Pete hard on her heels.  
When they reached the parking lot, they saw him hopping into a black Dodge Charger with a push bar on the front. It was a police interceptor model. They turned and ran towards their car, jumping in quickly when they got to it. As the Charger exited the parking lot, they started their car up, and tore out of the lot in persuit.

* * *

While all this was happening, no one was paying any attention to Terrence. He slowly made his way over to the entrance to the room where the cube had been, carrying a small tote bag with him. He scanned his keycard, and the door opened. He walked in, and deposited the bag on the counter. He then turned around and closed the door behind him. Again, he turned, and took something out of the bag. Something small. Something cube shaped. Something wooden.

* * *

Pete drove as fast as he could after the Charger. Preston was a good driver, however, and managed to stay ahead. Weaving through traffic, Preston swerved onto a side street. He then pulled into an alley and stopped. He shot out of the car and into the building. Pete raced by the alley, but Myka yelled out for him to stop. She had seen something. Pete quickly shifted into reverse and backed up to where Myka had called out. He stopped when he saw the Charger parked in the alley. He turned off the car and jumped out, Myka right behind him. The ran up next to the car and Myka looked in the window. Nothing.  
"He's not here, Pete." They heard a crunch off to the left, and saw a door. Myka ran over to it and looked in, seeing a broken glass, the pieces still moving. "Pete! Over here! He went inside!"  
"Lets go, maybe we can catch him!" They chased Preston into the building. Running through a long hall, they found a single room at the end. They stopped and looked around. "Wow Mykes. Good sleuthing," Pete said, a sarcastic edge to his voice.  
"Shut _up_ Pete. There was only one hall. There must be a way to continue on."  
"Yeah, we go back and then look for another-" They both heard it. A step.  
"Agents," came Preston's drawl. They whipped around to see Preston, a bag in one hand, and an FN Five-seveN in his other. "I was hoping you would follow me. Your search is fruitless. This little piece of work is mine," he said, gesturing to the bag. "Always was, always will be."  
"Always was?" Myka asked.  
"Uh, well, from this point on," Preston replied, somewhat awkwardly.  
"Yeah, alright. We need that, so you can either give it to us quietly, or..." Myka said, trailing off into silence.  
"No," said Preston. "I don't think that is how it will work. You two think you are so good, but I snatched this from right under your noses. I plan to deal with you two now, so that you won't be able to stop me."  
"Stop you from doing what?" Pete asked.  
"That is not important. Any last words?" He said, checking his pistol. While he was looking down, Pete quickly whipped up his Tesla, and was about to shoot, when Preston suddenly leapt forwards and hit Pete's wrist, making him drop his gun and clutch his wrist with his other hand. "You really thought it would be that easy?"  
"Well, I hoped," Pete said while wincing.  
"Your hope was misplaced." As Preston said this, he brought up the gun. "Should I take you down first, or make you watch her die?"  
When Pete had first tried to attack, Myka started to edge her way around the room, to the side of Preston, and moved her hand to her Tesla. "You don't have to worry about choosing, I already have." At the same time she said this, she brought up her Tesla, and in one fluid movement, shot his side. He dropped to the floor, throwing the bag towards the wall as he did so.  
Pete quickly moved over to the bag, and opened it, revealing the cube. The cube, however, was slightly different, it had letters on the sides, instead of the cryptic symbols it had sported before.  
"Myka, come take a look at this. The cube is different!" Myka came over and looked at the cube. They examined it, and came to a conclusion.

The cube was a fake.

* * *

**Well... That came faster than I had anticipated. An idea popped into my head, and I just had to write it out. The confrontation with Preston was kinda short, but I wasn't really sure how to write it out. I hope it doesn't disappoint. R&R! **


End file.
